


Rooftops (aren't the same) with(out) you

by flwrkyuu



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, nyukyu sad babies, super cute fluffy high school romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:42:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flwrkyuu/pseuds/flwrkyuu
Summary: The two males stared in awe at each other for about a minute before Changmin broke the silence. "You're Choi Chanhee right?" He asks. The other just looks at him for a second. "And you're Ji Changmin, correct?"Changmin and Chanhee were acquaintances. Not necessarily friends but not strangers either. They were both friends with a lot of the same people. It just so happens that they themselves are really friends, yet.
Relationships: Choi Chanhee | New/Ji Changmin | Q
Kudos: 39





	Rooftops (aren't the same) with(out) you

**Author's Note:**

> hi hi!! this is one of my works from wattpad that im transferring here :D it took a while to edit and its still not perfect so,,, enjoy? 
> 
> -sonja

Ji Changmin sat alone in his room. it was two in the morning on a Tuesday night. This upcoming Saturday was a dance competition he'd been preparing for really hard and was generally very stressed about. The eleventh grader sighed, knowing damn well that he was far too stressed to sleep right now he got off his bed and walked over to his window.

Changmin took the screen off the window then opened it up. He climbed out of his room and onto the roof. The mid-October weather was rather lovely. It was a little warm still even though it was the dead of night.

Changmin sighed. He sat down on the roof and looked out at the houses within his line of sight. He just sat there quietly for a while when his peaceful thoughts were disturbed by a noise coming from the next house over. Changmin watched as the window slowly opened and a figure stepped out onto the roof. He turned and they made eye contact.

The two males stared in awe at each other for about a minute before Changmin broke the silence. "You're Choi Chanhee right?" He asks. The other just looks at him for a second. "And you're Ji Changmin, correct?"

Changmin and Chanhee were acquaintances. Not necessarily friends but not strangers either. They were both friends with a lot of the same people. It just so happens that they themselves are really friends, yet.

Changmin nodded. "I didn't think anyone else came out onto the roof," Changmin said. Chanhee chuckled softly. "Yeah me neither..." He sat down facing Changmin. They awkwardly sat in silence for a few minutes, sometimes making eye contact before quickly breaking it.

"So why are you up here?" Changmin decided to ask. "You know the math contest at school Thursday?" Chanhee asked. Changmin thought for a moment then nodded. "My older brother won first place when he was in our grade. If I don't live up to his standards my parents will see me as less valuable." There was a hint of sadness in Chanhee's voice that Changmin picked up on. "I'm sure you'll do great. I heard you were tutoring Kevin most of grade nine and ten."

Chanhee tilted his head. Then he remembered that Kevin and Changmin had been very close friends in middle school. "I'm not that good. Kevin's just slow." Chanhee blankly said. "You doubt yourself so much," Changmin said. "Well, then why are you up here?" Chanhee asked, steering the conversation away from himself.

"Oh... I'm just really stressed out over a dance competition on Saturday that I've prepared really hard for. I'm worried all of my hard work will have been in vain and that my sisters will be disappointed in me." Changmin rambles. "Aren't you like one of the best dancers at our school?" Chanhee asked. "I'm not that good." He mumbled.

"Then I guess we both have self-confidence issues." Chanhee bluntly said. Changmin was taken back for a second but realized chanhee was right. Changmin checked his watch, quickly coming to the realization that he'd been on the roof for almost an hour now. "I’m gonna sleep." Changmin stood up. He waved goodbye to the boy on the  _ rooftop _ next door and headed inside.

Chanhee sat on the roof a while longer staring up at the stars. Wondering if he'll ever be good enough.

\---

"Changmin! Sangyeon's here!" His mom called from downstairs. Changmin has woken up late because he barely slept last night. After he got off the roof he laid wide awake in bed for a few more hours. Changmin quickly brushed his hair and grabbed his school bag. He hurried downstairs to find Kevin casually waiting at his front door. "Bye mom!" Changmin called as he slipped on his shoes and pulled Sangyeon out of the house. "What's up with you? You look like you got no sleep."

"Yeah, cause I didn't genius." Changmin rolled his eyes. "Are you nervous about the comp on Saturday?" Sangyeon asked. "Yeah..." They slowly began their walk to school. "What are you worrying about? You, Haknyeon and Hyunjun are gonna do great. Stop doubting yourself." Sangyeon patted Changmin's back.

"Chanhee!" Kevin yelled from the bottom of the staircase. Chanhee's dad let him in moments earlier. "Yeah yeah I’m coming, stop yelling you asshat," Chanhee yelled back. He huffed, grabbing his school bag and heading for the stairs. "Someone's grumpy," Kevin commented. "Yeah, cause I didn't sleep," Chanhee grumbled. He walked into the kitchen, said good morning to his parents and grabbed an apple.

"To school, we go!" Chanhee sighed at Kevin's enthusiasm. "How can you have this much energy? It’s 7:30 in the morning." Chanhee asked as they walked outside.

"It’s called positivity, you should try it sometime."

Chanhee rolled his eyes and they continued walking. Ahead of them were Sangyeon and Changmin who'd left the house minutes earlier. Kevin realized who it was then proceeded to yell Changmin's name.

The pair in front of them stopped and turned around. "Kevin you ass why are you so loud?" Changmin asked. Kevin looked at Changmin then back at Chanhee. "You two both said very similar things to me, that's kind of scary," Kevin said. Sangyeon looked at Changmin then over at the boy beside Kevin.  _ I know something will happen between them, I can just feel it.  _ He thought to himself.

"Maybe because you are a loud asshat." Changmin and Chanhee said in unison. They made eye contact then quickly looked away. "No no no I don't mess with creepy stuff. Let's go Chanhee before you two turn into each other." Kevin grabbed Chanhee's hand and dragged him past Changmin and Sangyeon. "Bye Changmin! Bye Sangyeon hyung!" Kevin yelled.

Changmin and Sangyeon just stood there in awe for a moment. "Your neighbour is pretty cute huh?" Sangyeon nudged Changmin's shoulder, which snapped him out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

“Chanhee. Your neighbour. He's pretty don't you think?"

"Oh uh I mean I guess so," Changmin mumbled as they began walking again. "He's totally your type," Sangyeon said far too casually for Changmin's liking. "Oh, and what's my type hyung?"

"I can't explain it, I just know."

"Shut up and let's just get to school alright hyung?"

\---

"Any student participating in the Yi Sangyeol math contest please make your way to the library now." The secretary said over the announcement system. Chanhee took a deep breath. He stood up from his seat and grabbed his bag. He looked back at Kevin who gave him a thumbs up and made eye contact with Changmin. He sat at the back of the class while Chanhee sat right near the front.

Changmin smiled at Chanhee before the other turned around to leave. Changmin remembered just how nervous and vulnerable Chanhee looked talking about the contest as they sat on the roof two nights ago.

Chanhee trudged through the halls all the way to the library. He sat down at an empty table and waited for the rest of the students writing the contest to arrive. When everyone had arrived the contest papers were handed out to every student and the timer for an hour and thirty minutes had started counting down. With every passing minute, Chanhee worked harder and harder. He was determined to not disappoint his parents and live up to the high standards his brother set for him years ago.

Changmin on the other hand was feeling a little nervous for the blonde male. Although they were merely acquaintances, he felt that they'd made some sort of connection on the roof Tuesday night. “Ji Changmin! Stop spacing out! Come answer the question on the board." Their teacher hit the podium they were standing in front of.

Changmin collected his thoughts and quickly made his way to the front of the class. He looked at the question, then picked up the whiteboard marker. After answering the question correctly he sat down with a rather smug look on his face. The teacher was unamused but continued with his lesson.

When first period ended there were still about twenty minutes left in the math contest. chanhee had been done for ten minutes now. He spent the last ten minutes double checking his answers and making sure his formulas were correct. When he was happy with all of his answers he stood up and headed over to the librarian’s desk. He handed in the contest and was dismissed to his second period class which just so happened to be math with juyeon.

He made it to class just in time for Ms. Yoo to start her lesson for the day. In another part of the building, Changmin and Kevin sat next to each other in art. "You and Chanhee looked at each other funny Wednesday morning when we bumped into you and Sangyeon hyung," Kevin said as he started sketching out some flowers. "Uh correction you didn't run into us, you yelled my name like a crazy person.

"I did no such thing!" Kevin protested to which Changmin scoffed. "What I was getting at is do you guys know each other from somewhere?" Kevin asked. "He's just my neighbour and we both have first period with you." Changmin paused. "And we both sit on the roof when we're stressed." He mumbled.

"Huh? what was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Ahah it's nothing. Keep sketching or Ms. Kang'll yell at you." Changmin avoided the topic and went back to sketching. They were working on a pencil drawing project and they could draw about anything beautiful to them. The first word that came to Changmin's mind was  _ dance _ . dance is beautiful to him. so he decided to draw a still of part of the dance he, Hyunjun and Haknyeon are performing on Saturday.

"Wow, Changmin it's looking very good." Ms. Kang complimented. Changmin smiled and thanked the teacher. when class ended it was time for lunch. "Are you eating with sangyeon hyung today?" Kevin asked. "I think he was gonna eat with Jaehyun and Younghoon hyungs. I’ll probably eat with my dance friends." Changmin explained.

"Why don't you come eat with me, Juyeon and Chanhee?"

"Uhh we'll see, I don't really know Chanhee or Juyeon that well so it'll probably be awkward. I’ll just-.” Kevin cut him off. "Look, Changmin, you're only friends are me, Sangyeon hyung, Hyunjun and Haknyeon. Maybe it's time to make some more friends." Kevin bluntly said.

Changmin stayed quiet for a moment. "I'm friends with Younghoon hyung too and Jaehyun hyung." He softly said. "Just come eat lunch with us, it's not a big deal. You're wasting my precious eating time, let's go." Changmin barely had enough time to grab his bag before Kevin pulled him away. When they arrived at the cafeteria, Juyeon and Chanhee were already sitting at the same table they usually sit at. "Hi hi! I brought Changmin with me." Kevin said as he sat down beside Juyeon. Changmin slowly walked over to the other side of the table and sat down beside the pretty blonde boy.

"How'd the math contest go?" Changmin asked. Juyeon and Kevin were already immersed in their own conversation. Chanhee turned to face Changmin. "I think I did well. I was the first to finish, but I won't know till next week when the scores are posted." Changmin nodded. This lunch was definitely going to be awkward.

—

The dance competition was two sleeps away, that's assuming Changmin could sleep in the first place. The current time was 3:54 am. Technically it was now Friday. Changmin had been laying in bed staring at the ceiling for hours now. He decided enough is enough and headed over to his window. He took off the screen and placed it against his desk.

Then he proceeded to climb out of the window and onto the roof. He turned to his neighbour's house and there was Chanhee. He was laying down looking up at the sky.

He must've heard Changmin get onto the roof because the moment he sat down Chanhee sat up. "It's rather late don't you think?" Chanhee said. "Says you." Changmin chuckled. "I guess you're out here cause the competition is a day away,'' Chanhee said. He sat on the diagonal roof curled up in a ball. "Yeah... I really hope I don't mess up and ruin it for Haknyeon and Hyunjun."

"Stop putting yourself down so much. we both need to break this bad habit." Chanhee said with a big sigh. "It's hard not to doubt myself when one of my sisters is a successful makeup artist and the other has been in so many musicals I’ve lost count," Changmin explained.

"I know exactly how you feel. My brother is ten years older than me and he set incredibly high academic standards for me to follow. It's such a burden always thinking I'm never enough. that I'm never gonna be enough." Changmin sat there in silence as chanhee talked. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have a brother to have to meet his standards. it's so hard to always be perfect Changmin."

Chanhee let out a deep breath. "You seem like you needed to get that off your chest." Changmin softly said. Chanhee sighed then nodded. "I don't want to burden Kevin and Juyeon by making them listen to me constantly stressing over perfection."

"Then burden me with it." Changmin said. They made eye contact and held it for a while. "We're both overly stressed and have no one to tell because we don't want to disappoint anyone. At least we can have each other to vent to, right?" The younger one had a point and Chanhee knew it.

"I’d say we should exchange numbers but I feel like that's a precarious situation to do on the roof. Before first period tomorrow, I'll give you my phone number alright? If you ever need to vent late at night I'll probably be awake so just text me and we can talk here." Changmin rambled. chanhee smiled at the boy on the roof. He was kind of cute, that was something Chanhee definitely couldn't deny. He nodded after Changmin finished. "We should probably get some sleep. We have a test first period, remember?"

Changmin's eyes widened. "Oh shit you're right. I guess I'll head in then. Night Chanhee." Then he disappeared back into his room. Chanhee smiled. He stood up and headed back into his room. He closed the window and flopped onto his bed. It was nearly quarter to five now. At most He'd be getting two hours of sleep if he was able to fall asleep right away. So he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

\---

It was now Saturday morning and to say that Changmin was nervous would be a huge understatement. he had to be at the performance hall for ten. (Which might I add, was in twenty minutes.)

He barely slept the night before and is currently running on two coffees and a chocolate bar. He was currently sitting on the bus to the performance hall. His backpack was in his lap and he was quietly sipping his coffee as he listened to music. Ten minutes of bus riding later he had arrived at the performance hall. He looked at the huge building, took a deep breath then walked inside.

Changmin walked up to the front desk and got his competition sticker and was told what dressing room he was in. He quickly headed to the dressing room where both Haknyeon and Hyunjun were already sitting. "Hyung you're here!" Hyunjun smiled. "You guys were earlier." Changmin said.

"Well we are first on the rehearsal sheet."

Changmin's eyes opened wider than ever before. "Crap how could I forget that." He hit his head a few times before Hyunjun stopped him. "Hyung, calm down. Once we get this performance over with you don't have to stress anymore. We're going to do great hyung." Hyunjun reassured him. "Oh yeah hyung did you invite anyone to come watch us?" Haknyeon asked.

Changmin sighed before slowly chuckling. "I mean I invited my sisters but how often do they actually show up for me?" He sadly laughed at himself. "Well don't worry hyung! We invited our friends so we'll have people watching us." Haknyeon said smiling the biggest dumb smile he ever smiled.

"Boys it's time for your rehearsal." A staff member popped their head into the room. "We'll be right there." Changmin assured the staff. "Let's kill it!" Haknyeon said.

\---

"Come on hyung, I know you have nothing better to do today. Don't you dare even use the excuse that you have to study, You can't study 24/7 so just come to the dance competition it'll be fun." Sunwoo said over the phone. Chanhee sighed. "Fine, what time is the competition?" Chanhee asked. He set down his pencil and closed his workbook. "Six but doors open at five thirty so I’ll pick you up at five."

"That's in an hour Sunwoo." Chanhee deadpanned. "What is an hour not long enough to make  _ the _ Choi Chanhee pretty?" Sunwoo rolled his eyes as he spoke. "You are just like kevin, you're an asshat. Don't be late picking me up."

"I won't, bye hyung!" Then Sunwoo ended the call. Chanhee ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair. He then got up and headed to his bathroom. His parents weren't home as usual, always off out of town on some business trip. The blonde boy undressed and hopped into the shower letting the warm water fall onto his body. After his quick shower he dried off and went back to his room to get dressed.

He chose a black turtleneck and had it tucked into black jeans. Just as he blended in his peachy lip tint the doorbell rang. Chanhee grabbed his phone and his wallet and headed downstairs. He opened the door letting sunwoo into his house. "Are your parents not home again?" Sunwoo asked.

"When was the last time you came over and they were home?" Chanhee asked, grabbing his blue jean jacket off the coat rack. Sunwoo didn't answer. "Come one let's just go." Chanhee locked the door and they began their journey to the performance hall. They walked to the bus stop nearest to Chanhee's house and got on a few moments after they arrived.

"We're here come on hyung." Sunwoo grabbed Chanhee's wrist and pulled him off the bus. It was just before five thirty and they only had to wait a few minutes before they were let into the performance hall. They ended up sitting three rows from the front on the middle left of the auditorium. "We have really good seats. We're gonna get such a good view. Sucks for Juyeon hyung and Eric for coming late. Oh and Kevin and Jacob hyungs." Sunwoo rambled.

It had hit him earlier that this was probably the competition Changmin had been stressing over but it wasn't till Sunwoo named names of who would be in attendance that he connected the dots. (He was slow sometimes, give him a break.)

Sunwoo and Changmin waited patiently for the competition to begin. By some straw of luck Kevin and Jacob ended up sitting beside them and Eric and Juyeon sat behind them. "You guys barely made it on time, how did you still manage to sit with us?" Sunwoo said, his mind a little blown. "Luck dear Sunwoo, luck." Eric patted sunwoo's head, but before Sunwoo could react the mc walked onto the stage. "Hello and welcome to the sixth annual Seoul dance competition! i'm your host Jang Yiseul and i'll be calling out the first group in just a few moments."

She continued to explain a few more things about the contest. "Now I'd like to welcome our first contestants! Changmin, Hyunjun and Haknyeon from the starlight dance company!" Chanhee perked up at the mention of changmin. The three teens walked on stage and got into their starting positions. The music began thus starting their beautiful performance.

As much as chanhee tried to focus on the dance as a whole he couldn't help but be mesmerized by Changmin. He was elegant yet sharp with his movements. Changmin was quick to notice Chanhee sitting in the third row beside Sunwoo when he walked on stage. Throughout the performance he'd sneak glances at the blonde male as he tried to concentrate on the dance. when they finished they bowed and exited the stage. "What an amazing performance to start the competition off with!"

"Hyung you did so good!" Hyunjun wrapped his arm around Changmin's shoulder. "Sorry I was a bit distracted." Changmin looked down as they walked back to their dressing room. "Hyung you were fine don't worry too much." Haknyeon said.

"Why do you think you were distracted?" Hyunjun asked. "Oh I just saw someone in the crowd that I knew." Changmin softly said. "Was it your sisters?" Haknyeon cautiously asked. Changmin scoffed. "Like I said earlier, when was the last time they came to watch us perform?" Changmin replied. "Okay fair point hyung, but our friends were there so it's not like no one came to see us." Haknyeon said.

The competition went by like the snap of a finger. All competing teams were called back into the stage for the announcement of ranks. "It's time to announce the top three teams!" Jang Yiseul said. The three boys from the starlight dance company were very nervous, but no one was as nervous as Changmin. His whole body was shaking and his mind was all over the place. "In third place we have...... Minyoung, Jinyoung and Harin from blue moon dance academy!"

Changmin became even more nervous after the announcement of third place. He watched as the team walked up and received their medals. "It's now time to announce the second place team..... Haseul, Kangmin and Woonggi of the east Seoul dance academy!" Changmin's knees felt weak. He didn't want to disappoint anyone. He held onto Hyunjun’s arm for support. "Now the place everyone has been waiting for! Of the five remaining teams who will take first place?"

The auditorium went completely silent for thirty seconds. The stress levels of everyone in the auditorium were through the roof. "Changmin, Hyunjun and Haknyeon of starlight dance company! Congratulations on winning first place at the sixth annual seoul dance competition!" The three boys stood in place in shock.

"Go get your prize you dummies!" Sunwoo yelled from the crowd earning a few laughs from other audience members and a light punch to the shoulder from Chanhee. Sunwoo's loud voice knocked the three teens back into reality. Hyunjun and Haknyeon pulled Changmin up to the front to receive their medals. They bowed and jang yiseul made her closing remarks on the competition. They exited the stage and almost immediately Changmin began to sob.

"Hyung, why are you crying? We did it! We won."

Changmin hugged the two younger males tight. "I was so worried we wouldn't win because of me." Changmin said between sobs. "Woah woah woah, hyung of the three of us you're the best dancer. You created most of our winning dance all by yourself. Stop doubting yourself so much." Hyunjun said, rubbing the older's back. "Now wipe those tears so we can go see our friends! You don't wanna give Kevin hyung a reason to laugh at you right?" Haknyeon reasoned.

Changmin laughed before wiping away his tears. "Come on we have to show off our gold medals." Changmin said. The three males laughed then went out into the lobby. They quickly located their friends after Changmin spotted the blonde male.

"You did it." Chanhee said to Changmin. He patted his shoulder and smiled. "Congratulations Changmin." Chanhee beamed. "Thanks Chanhee. Now I don't have to worry again until we start preparing for our next competition." Changmin rubbed the back of his neck. "You two are friends?" Sunwoo said, tilting his head. "Sort of." Chanhee replied.

Sunwoo made a confused face then turned back around to Haknyeon and Hyunjun.

\---

"Hey." Changmin called from across the roof. Chanhee sat up. "Mm Min what's up?" The dance competition was two weeks ago. Since then the two overly stressed teens have met on the roof every other night discussing many of life's problems. "My sisters came home tonight." Chanhee tilted his head. "I thought they were busy all the time like my parents." Chanhee pointed out. "They usually are. They both came home to boast about their recent accomplishments. Not once since winning the competition did they even bat an eye or bother to say that they were even remotely proud of me. They're staying till Sunday so I get a whole two ish days with them!" Changmin's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"That's ridiculous. You deserve to be praised. That performance was amazing. It was elegant yet powerful and so beautifully structured. They didn't even come see it, that's their loss." Chanhee huffed after he spoke. "Thank you Chanhee." It felt really nice to be complimented for once. "Don't get used to me being nice, I'm not always like this." Chanhee said, earning a laugh from Changmin.

"What's so funny?" Chanhee asked. "You just don't seem like you could be all that mean." Changmin explained. Chanhee sighed laying back down on the roof. "Look how pretty the stars are." Chanhee softly said. Changmin looked up, his back slowly falling to hit the roof. The two teens laid in silence staring up at the stars.

They laid comfortably like that for almost thirty minutes, enjoying their company in silence while watching the stars. "I think i'm going to head to bed." Chanhee called. They both sat up and made eye contact across their roofs.

"Night Chanhee."

"Night Changmin."

\---

"Morning." Changmin said as he walked into the kitchen. It was Saturday morning, the first Saturday in a long time that both his sisters were home. His dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. His mom was making coffee and his two sisters were making breakfast. "Sleep late last night?" His mom asked. "I had a hard time falling asleep." Changmin lied, well, sort of.

Changmin grabbed a glass from the cupboard and headed to the fridge. He poured himself a glass of milk and sat down at the table. "Aren't you going to help serve breakfast?" The oldest sister asked. Changmin looked over. "There's two of you and one of me, it's not like i'm going to make much of a difference." Changmin replied. "Watch your tone with your sister Changmin!" His dad snapped.

"You know what, you guys can enjoy your fun family breakfast together. I’ll just get going seeing as no one seems to care much about me anyway." He finished his glass of milk and left the kitchen without another word.

He headed upstairs to grab his phone and his wallet then left the house without saying goodbye. As he stepped onto his front porch he noticed a familiar blonde sitting on the curb of the road. Changmin walked up to the blonde and sat down beside him on the curb. "Are you admiring the disrepair of our road?" Changmin asked. It knocked Chanhee out of whatever thoughts he was having and made him look over at the brunette.

“I'm sorry what?" Chanhee furrowed his brows and had a very confused look on his face. "What are you doing sitting on the curb on a Saturday morning?" Changmin asked. "I could ask you the same thing." Chanhee fired back. "You're feistier in the daylight huh?" Changmin retorted. Chanhee rolled his eyes. "What's up Changmin?"

"I don't really want to be at home so I left." Changmin said. "Me neither, not that anyone's home but still." Chanhee replied. "How about we do something fun today. I'll probably get in trouble for leaving the way I did so I better make this day worthwhile." Changmin awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We could go to karaoke." Chanhee suggested.

"Woah I didn't know Mr academic king over here could sing." Changmin said in disbelief. "Well you'll only know if we go to karaoke." Chanhee smiled an angelic smile. "Then what exactly are you waiting for? Let's go!" Changmin grabbed Chanhee's arm and pulled him up to his feet. "Wait, hold on, my wallet is in the house." Chanhee stopped walking.

"Don't worry I'll pay today. You can pay me back some other time." Changmin said. The blonde couldn't really refuse so he just nodded and let Changmin pull him towards the nearest bus stop. Within minutes the bus had arrived and they hopped on. Changmin paid both of their fares and chanhee felt bad. He didn't want Changmin to be wasting his money on him. It was a rather quiet bus ride. Neither of them brought earbuds so they couldn't listen to music and there wasn't much to talk about.

So they just sat in silence. Every so often exchanging awkward glances with nothing to say. Most of the time Chanhee looked out the bus window, watching as the streets passed him by. When they reached their stop Changmin grabbed Chanhee's hand and pulled him off the bus. They were still holding hands when they walked up to the karaoke place. Only then did Changmin realize he was still holding Chanhee's hand. He quickly let go and apologized to chanhee.

Upon entering the karaoke place Changmin paid for fifteen tokens which would get them fifteen songs. They got a room big enough for the two of them and started deciding on the first song. "Can I start?" Chanhee asked. He looked down at the floor, not being able to look Changmin in the eye for some strange reason.

"Sure what song do you want to sing?"

"Don't forget me by Baek Ji Young." Chanhee requested. "Starting us off with a sad song. How fitting." Changmin chuckled. He chose the song and put in the first token. He sat down on the small bench and watched as Chanhee held the microphone. When the music started, Chanhee closed his eyes and let the music fill his body.

He brought the microphone to his lips and began singing. Changmin's eyes grew wide as he listened to chanhee sing for the first time. He was in awe at how amazing he sounded. Of course Changmin knew he was academically gifted but he didn't know he was musically gifted as well. He listened carefully to the blonde’s honey voice. When he finished Changmin looked him in the eyes and applauded really loud. Chanhee got all flustered and went red in the snap of a finger.

Lucky for him the lighting was dim so in his mind Changmin didn't notice but he totally did. "Chanhee you're so talented why don't you sing more often?" Changmin praised. chanhee awkwardly sat down beside him and sighed. "I don't want l to have even higher expectations put on me because people find out I can sing. It's hard enough trying to be the best at everything academic based. I don't need to add more to my plate."

Changmin nodded but wouldn't stop praising him. This was a much better way to start off his day compared to the very tense and awkward breakfast he could have been having.

\---

Just as Changmin had suspected, he did get in a fair bit of trouble for just up and leaving that Saturday morning. Almost a week has passed since then and Chanhee hasn't had a rooftop conversation since. He would go out onto the roof but Changmin was never there. Of course he still saw him at school but it wasn't the same. It was Friday night and Chanhee decided enough was enough. He was worried about Changmin so he called him.

It rang a few times before he picked up. "Changmin are you ok? You haven't come on the roof lately and you seem quieter in class." Chanhee immediately said. His concern evident in his voice. "I... I'm alright." Changmin's voice was quiet.

Chanhee knew he was lying. "Changmin tell me what happened, please. I'm worried about you." Chanhee heard a sigh from the other side of the call. Changmin took a deep breath then spoke. "I got in trouble when we came home from downtown. My dad was mad at me and yelled at me for not being good like my sisters saying that if this keeps up I'll never be nearly as good as them. He didn't let me go to dance all week as punishment and I've spent most nights curled up in a ball on my bed."

Chanhee was silent. Quite frankly, he didn't know what to say. "Changmin... don't listen to him. You're amazing okay?" Chanhee's voice was soothing to Changmin. His voice made him feel safe. Changmin wiped away the few teardrops that had gathered in his eyes. "Thank you." His voice was barely audible but Chanhee could hear him. "You can always call me if you need me ok? Don't forget that."

"I'll try." Changmin mumbled. "Get some sleep okay?" Chanhee paused. "You should come over tomorrow. We can watch movies all day if you want." Changmin smiled. He could tell the older was trying to cheer him up. "If my dad lets me..." Chanhee frowned. "Just say you're working on a project with me. He can't refuse you then."

Changmin deeply hoped that it would work. He wanted to be out of the house and frankly, with the person he felt most free around. When Changmin was with his other friends sure he was close with them and sometimes would talk about basic problems with them but he didn't want to burden them with everything. Chanhee and Changmin both had this in common so them becoming friends turned each other into somewhat of a safe zone for each other. "Okay."

Chanhee smiled. "You can come over whenever, alright? I should be up by nine thirty." Chanhee said. He laid back onto his bed. "Okay — I’ll get going then."

"Don't worry yourself too much, okay? Just sleep, let your worries melt away." Changmin closed eyes for a moment. He let out a deep breath then nodded, not like Chanhee could see but whatever. "Goodnight Chanhee."

"Sleep well Changmin."

\---

It was a little after ten when Chanhee's doorbell rang. He was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal while watching some random kdrama. He put his cereal down on the coffee table and went to answer the door. There stood Changmin wearing a lilac pullover and some Adidas track pants. "Hey." Changmin mumbled. "I like your sweater." Chanhee said as he let him inside.

"Thanks." Changmin didn't understand why his face heated up when Chanhee complimented him. It wasn't even a direct complement. He just liked his sweater. So why did his cheeks become red? Changmin shook his head after he finished taking off his shoes.

"So what do you wanna watch today?" Chanhee asked. He guided Changmin into the living room where his bowl of cereal was. "Normally I'd suggest a horror movie but iIm kinda in the mood to watch a Disney movie." Changmin explained. "You like horror movies?" Chanhee asked. They sat down on the couch and Chanhee picked up his cereal bowl. "Only ghosts and paranormal ones. Not ones with lots of gore."

Chanhee nodded. "I have a bunch of princess movies if you're alright with that?" Changmin chuckled. "Yeah that's fine." Chanhee placed his bowl back down and headed to the shelf beside the tv where he kept all of his movies. He scanned the shelf till he found the first movie he wanted to watch with Changmin. "Frozen!" Chanhee cheered. "I've never seen you so excited before... it's kinda weird." Changmin said.

The older stuck his tongue out at him. Chanhee put the movie disk in the dvd player and pressed play. He sat back down on the couch beside Changmin and began eating his cereal again. Ooh my, wait I didn't offer you any food or drinks when you got here. I feel so bad." Chanhee pouted. "No no don't worry. I had breakfast before I came over." Changmin assured him it was alright but the blonde still felt a little bad. "Stop worrying and just watch the movie ok?" Changmin ruffled Chanhee's hair.

The blonde froze at the touch. His cheeks heated up and he quickly averted his attention to the screen. Changmin chuckled then turned his attention to the screen. Ten minutes into the movie Chanhee had finished his breakfast. Soon one movie turned into two into three and it was now mid afternoon. They were in the middle of watching Mulan. Changmin felt Chanhee scoot closer to him.

He tried to keep his focus on the movie but eventually he had to change his focus for a second. He turned his head to Chanhee who seemed to be slowly falling asleep. Hence why he seemed to be getting closer to the brunette. His eyes were almost completely closed. Changmin smiled. "He must not have slept much." He mumbled. Chanhee looked up a bit, his eyes still mostly closed. He placed his head on Changmin's shoulder then didn't move.

Any spare attention Changmin might've had for the movie was now completely on the sleeping boy. The blonde looked so peaceful as he slept. Chanhee lightly held onto Changmin's arm like a teddy bear. The brunette melted inside. What was this feeling?

He couldn't put the feeling into words. He let out a soft sigh then yawned. Maybe a nap was what he needed. So he closed his eyes and let his head softly rest on Chanhee's.

A few hours passed by when suddenly the doorbell rang. Both boys were fast asleep so they didn't hear it. The person on the other side of the door let out a frustrated grumbled then fumbled to get their spare key out of their pocket. They opened the door and let themselves in. "Chanhee you ass why didn't you..." Kevin's voice trailed off as he walked into the living room to find the two males fast asleep.

"Do I wake them or should I be a good person and leave them alone?" Kevin wondered. He ended up going with the first option and threw the pillow that was resting on the arm chair at them. Changmin grumbled, obviously annoyed that his sleep had been interrupted. He opened his eyes to Kevin standing by the armchair beside the couch. His eyes widened as he realized Chanhee was still mostly asleep and holding onto his arm.

"Well then... what an interesting development this is." Kevin smirked. "Kevin you soggy sock this isn't whatever you think it is. We were watching movies and fell asleep.'' Changmin explained. He softly shook chanhee awake. The blonde male squinted at the figure by the armchair. "Morning sunshine." Kevin said. "I didn't mean to interrupt but I got bored so I came over. You didn't tell me you were having company over today."

"You talk like you're my parents and I have to tell you everything I’m doing." Chanhee huffed. He then realized how close he was to Changmin and went bright red but oddly enough didn't move. "The only thing you interrupted was my well needed nap!" Chanhee hissed. "Whatever you say!" Kevin put his hands up in defeat.

"I guess I should go, shouldn't i?" Kevin awkwardly laughed. Changmin and Chanhee didn't respond, well they did. Just not verbally. They both glared daggers into his soul until he went to the door. "Enjoy your movie date love birds!" Then Kevin quickly left. Chanhee crossed his arms over his chest. "He's so annoying. I was having such a good nap." Chanhee pouted.

_ He looks really cute when he pouts.  _ Changmin thought to himself. His eyes widened at the realization of what just went through his head and he could no longer look the male in the eye. They've only been friends for a little under a month now. "Do you wanna go back to watching a movie?" Chanhee asked. "I was having a pretty good time napping actually." Changmin said, awkwardly playing with his fingers. "When do you have to be home? It’s three now."

"My dad didn't specify but I assume no later than eight." Changmin explained. The blonde nodded. "Well then we could go back to napping if that's what you want. I'll even set an alarm so we don't oversleep.” Changmin smiled. "We're so sleep deprived we're napping for fun." He laughed at his own comment, but Chanhee laughed too so it was alright. "So is that a yes?" Chanhee asked. "Of course."

\---

A few weeks have gone by since the movie nap session at Chanhee's house. They've turned it into a regular saturday thing now. It was early December now and the roof was starting to become too cold for even the hardcore teens that sit on the roof all the time. Tonight changmin was going to sleep over for the first time at Chanhee's house. And as usual his parents were away. Changmin's parents were also away so it worked out nicely.

In the last week, Changmin's dance company announced that they'd be sending their top dancers to a solo dance competition in Busan just before christmas. Changmin was picked and his stress levels had risen once again. Chanhee of course picked up on that so he tried to destress him today.

It was now around seven in the evening. “Chanhee." Changmin called. "Can I get your opinion on something?" The brunette asked. They were sitting in the living room eating popcorn and talking about random things. "Yeah of course what's up?" Chanhee turned his body so it was fully facing Changmin. "Can you tell me if my dance is good?"

"I mean sure, I bet it is but yeah." Chanhee paused. "There's more space in the basement, let's go there." He grabbed Changmin's wrist and pulled him up off the couch. Before Chanhee could pull him too far, Changmin grabbed his phone so he could play the music. "Here." Changmin pulled up the music and passed his phone to Chanhee. "Play." Chanhee pressed play and Changmin began dancing. It was bad guy by Billie Eilish. Chanhee watched with a critical eye, but he couldn't find any flaws.

He danced perfectly to the beat with sharp yet smooth movements. He stopped before the song ended and looked a little out of breath. His hair was messy and there was some sweat dripping down his face. "I haven't finished choreographing all of it yet." Changmin explained after regaining his breath. "And yet it's already that good." Chanhee paused. "You have what? Two ish weeks till the competition? You'll be fine. If I can, I'll even bus down to Busan with you to watch you."

"It's not like my parents will be home yet then." Chanhee mumbled the last part. "You'd do that for me?" Changmin asked, his eyes as wide as a puppy dog's. "Of course! You support me whenever I have a math or science contest so I should do the same for your dance contests." Chanhee said, a big grin plastered across his face.  _ Fuck he's so cute _ . Changmin thought to himself. "If you want you can take a shower. You did kind of get pretty sweaty." Chanhee pointed out. "If it's alright with you."

"Dumb dumb, I wouldn't have offered it if it wasn't ok with me." Chanhee lightly bonked Changmin's head. "Come on sweaty." Chanhee pulled Changmin all the way upstairs to the second floor. Changmin had already brought his bag up to Chanhee's room so he grabbed out the shorts and tee shirt he was going to wear to bed. "I’ll be in here if you need me." Changmin nodded before heading into the bathroom. Meanwhile, Chanhee was freaking out in his bedroom.

"Jesus Christ Chanhee get it together." He muttered. Chanhee was pacing around his room as Changmin showered. "You've been his friend for what? Barely two months? You can't like him! And even if you do it's not like he's going to like you back." Chanhee's parents weren't home much growing up and as he grew older they were home less and less. It also didn't help that his older brother is ten years older than him so he moved out when Chanhee was eight.

He spent a lot of time at Kevin and Sunwoo's houses growing up. His parents would come home for holidays and most of the time his birthday. They'd come home for a few days here and there throughout the year between business trips but that's really it. He was lonely a lot. He felt like he didn't deserve love. like he wasn't worth anyone's love or time. He avoided crushing on people and anytime he did he would push those feelings so far down they'd never be found again.

That's why liking Changmin was such a scary idea. Not only that but he really didn't want to lose Changmin. He's grown very attached to him and couldn't bear the idea of not having him to fall back on anymore. "Hey." Changmin popped his head into Chanhee's room. The blonde quit his pacing and turned around to the door.

There stood Changmin in a huge tee shirt and a pair of shorts. He was still drying his hair with a towel that was half draped over his left shoulder. "Oh you're done." Chanhee softly said. "Hey are you alright? You're red and why were you pacing so much? Is something wrong?" Changmin got very concerned very fast. He hurried over to the blonde and checked his forehead to see if he was running a fever. Chanhee grabbed his wrist pulling it slightly away from his forehead. "I'm fine." He mumbled.

They stayed like that for way longer than either of them realized. Chanhee’s hand holding Changmin’s wrist as they stared at each other like they were the only things in the room. It's like they were frozen in place staring into each other's eyes. “I-I'm going to shower." Chanhee suddenly announced. He let go of Changmin's wrist and left the room. Changmin stood there dazed for a moment. "Ji Changmin you told yourself you weren't going to love again." Changmin muttered to himself. "Not after him."

_ Him _ _.  _ The him Changmin was referring to was Kim Younghoon. Yes, the one he's friends with. Changmin fell hard for him when he was a freshman. Sangyeon had introduced them and from that moment Changmin fell hard. Everyone noticed, everyone except Younghoon who was too wrapped up in Lee Jaehyun's eyes to notice. Younghoon didn't realize that the way he acted towards Changmin was pure torture. He treated him like a kid, like a kid that needed to be babied. Then he'd go and stare at Jaehyun.

Changmin wasn't stupid. After a while he realized that Younghoon would never see him that way, but that didn't make it hurt any less when he watched as Younghoon hopelessly pined after Jaehyun. Changmin tried to distance himself in hopes of not getting himself hurt anymore. Even though it wasn't really something he had control over he always thinks that because Younghoon couldn't love him, no one could.

That's why he didn't want to fall for Chanhee. He didn't think his heart could take a repeat of what happened last time. But he knew he'd already fallen hard. He knew he couldn't just up and leave so he pushed away all of his feelings. He wanted to enjoy his time with Chanhee. "I’m done." Chanhee said as he walked back into his room. Chanhee wasn't very smart when he rushed out to shower. He didn't grab any extra clothes. They made eye contact then Changmin looked him up and down before averting his eyes.

Chanhee was standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist. "I-I need to change." Chanhee stuttered. Changmin quickly nodded and left the room. He stood by the closed door and waited for Chanhee to open it again.

It was eight o'clock now. Admittedly both males were pretty tired. They didn't nap today like past days. They just watched movies, talked and enjoyed each other's company. "You can come in." Chanhee opened the door. He was now wearing a shirt so big it was practically a dress on him. Changmin couldn't help but chuckled at how cute it was. "Hey don't laugh! This shirt is comfortable. It just so happens to make it look like my shorts don't exist." Chanhee pouted.

Changmin smiled. "It's cute." He subconsciously said. Chanhee's eyes widened. His whole face heated up and he looked down at the floor. "Shut up and just come in." Chanhee half mumbled. Changmin walked into Chanhee's room then the blonde closed the door. "I know it's early ish still but do you wanna lay down and maybe just talk till we fall asleep?" Chanhee softly asked.

Changmin tilted his head. He nodded then jumped onto Chanhee's double bed. It wasn't super big but definitely had enough room for both males to sleep. "Can you turn on the light on the nightstand? I’m gonna turn off the overhead light." Chanhee explained. Changmin nodded and reached over to turn on the light. The small lamp lit up and Chanhee turned off the big overhead light. Now there was just a dim yellow glow throughout the room.

Chanhee laid down beside changmin and got under the covers. The heat was on in the house but it was still a little chilly. For a few minutes they just enjoy the silence of each other's company. Neither party really knew what to say. Changmin had half accepted that he was falling in love with Chanhee but that didn't make it any less scary. He laid there looking at the ceiling trying to think of something to say. "What do you want to do for university?" Chanhee suddenly asks.

Changmin rolled over to face chanhee. "Probably dance." He started. "It's the only thing I have a real passion for so I'll probably apply to an arts university for dance." Changmin explained. "That's really cool." Chanhee admitted. "What about you Chan?" The brunette asked. "My parents want me to go into medicine like my brother but I want to go into engineering." Chanhee said. "So are you going to do what they want or what you want?"

That was a good question, one that he thought about a lot. Chanhee has been doing what they want his whole life, maybe it was time to do what he wanted to do. "I really want to go into engineering." Chanhee said. "Then go for it. I know we're only in grade eleven but next year when you apply I'll be rooting for you." Changmin's voice was reassuring. It was nice to have someone like Changmin to talk to. "Thanks min." Changmin blushed. Lucky for him the light wasn't bright enough to make it noticeable. (At least that’s what he told himself.)

They continued talking about random things for another hour or so until Chanhee started yawning. "We should sleep if you're so tired." Changmin said. Chanhee frowned, he wanted to talk more. "But-." Changmin placed his finger on Chanhee's lips. "No ifs ands or buts we're going to sleep." Changmin told him. "Fine."

Changmin reached over to the lamp to turn it off. Now the room was completely dark. They said their goodnights and closed their eyes. They tried to sleep but Chanhee was cold. "I'm cold." He said, just barely loud enough for Changmin to hear. The brunette didn't reply, he only reached out his arms and pulled Chanhee close. The blonde didn't protest for three reasons; one he was too tired to, two he was actually really cold and this was warming him up, and three being in Changmin's arms was really nice.

His head rested between Changmin's neck and chest and his arms had made their way around Changmin's waist. So much for not falling in love right?

\---

It was now the Friday before the solo competition in Busan. Changmin had the option to take the bus with his dance company or with Chanhee. He didn't want Chanhee to have to bus down all by himself so he chose to go with Chanhee. it cost the same anyway so it wasn't really a big difference. They had also booked a hotel room that they split the cost of for two nights. Their bus was scheduled to leave at four thirty. They would be arriving around nine in busan.

Changmin's parents were sending off the two teens. "Be good you two. Make sure to call us if anything goes wrong. When you aren't at the competition please stick together. Have fun and good luck Changmin." His mom said. "Stay safe and don't wander around the city too late." His dad added. "We won't, we don't, don't worry." Changmin said.

"Alright then, we'll be off." His dad said. They watched as his parents turned around and walked away from the bus station. "Bus 808 to Busan will be leaving in ten minutes!" The bus driver said. Both boys had already put their luggage on the bus so they hopped on and found a seat.

They were seated three rows from the back. Chanhee got the window seat and Changmin got the aisle seat. Now let's not forget about the realization Changmin had made two weeks ago. He knew damn well that he was falling in love with Chanhee, and he hated it. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Younghoon. He looked over at the blonde male. Chanhee had put in earbuds and was looking out the window.

Chanhee looked out the window in deep thought. He knew all too well that he was falling for Changmin. It scared him so much. He didn't want to get hurt, he didn't want to hurt Changmin, and most importantly he didn't want to lose Changmin. He let out a soft sigh as the bus started to move. The first hour neither boy spoke a word. Both were so deep in thought that they didn't realize an hour had elapsed. During the second hour they ended up watching an episode of knowing bros and trying to keep their laughs to a minimum.

By the third hour Chanhee was getting sleepy. He closed his eyes and out of habit used Changmin's shoulder as a pillow. Changmin turned his head a little to look at the blonde boy. He smiled. Changmin stayed awake for a little while longer but he too was tired. He ended up falling asleep with his head leaning in Chanhee's. Chanhee was half asleep when this happened. The blonde softly wrapped his arms around Chanhee's and closed his eyes again.

"Bus 808 to Busan has arrived! Please exit the bus and grab your luggage." The bus driver's voice blared through the bus. Beside Changmin and Chanhee was an old woman. She noticed they were still sleeping and tapped Changmin's shoulder. "The bus has arrived, kids." Changmin's eyes fluttered open. He felt Chanhee's weight still on him and thanked the old woman. "Wake up sleepy head we're here." Changmin shook his arm, consequently shaking Chanhee.

"Hmm?" The blonde groggily hummed. "Get up, we're in Busan." Changmin said again. Chanhee quickly removed his arms from Changmin's and sat up. They got off the bus and grabbed their luggage. Changmin called a cab to take them to their hotel. It was after nine and not exactly the safest time to be walking around.

The cab pulled up and the driver helped load their luggage into the car. They sat in the back of the cab for about seven minutes. "Thank you." They said in unison after the driver dropped them off. They carried their luggage inside and walked up to the front desk. "Hi we're here to check in." Changmin said. "Can I get the last name the reservation was name under?" The receptionist asked. "Ji-Choi." Changmin answered. "One queen sized bed?" She asked.

They nodded. "Alright, here's your room key. Your room is on the fourth floor. If you need anything dial zero on the room phone and that will get you the front desk. Have a nice stay." They each got a room key then headed up to their room. They decided on one bed because it was cheaper than two beds. Plus it's not like they haven't slept in the same bed before so it should be fine right?

"I'm gonna shower." Changmin said. "Alright I think I’m going to quickly pop down to the convenience store beside the hotel. Do you want anything?" Chanhee asked. "Can you get me a banana milk please?" Changmin asked. "Of course."

Changmin walked into the bathroom and locked the door. He turned on the water and got undressed. Changmin stepped into the shower and let the water harshly hit his body. He was very stressed, for multiple reasons. One he didn't want to disappoint anyone by losing the competition. Cwo there was something different about sharing a bed with chanhee when it wasn't one of their beds. And three his feelings towards the blonde were stressing him out.

The purpose of the shower was obviously to get clean but also an attempt to melt away his stress. He didn't hear the room door open over the sound of the shower. Chanhee was back from the convenience store. He placed the bag from the store on the dresser and then went to open his small suitcase. He grabbed out a big blue hoodie and a pair of shorts. The shower was still running so he quickly changed. He sat down at the small desk in the room and ate the bag of chips he had just bought.

Changmin stepped out of the shower and dried off he got changed and came out of the bathroom drying his hair with the towel. "Oh, you're back." He softly smiled. "Your banana milk sir." Chanhee held out the carton of banana milk for changmin to grab with a bit of a chuckle. "Thank you."

"You look nervous." Chanhee pointed out. "Because I am, genius." Changmin replied. Changmin sat down at the edge of the bed. "I’m worried my performance won't live up to everyone's expectations." Changmin admitted. "Min stop. Remember when you showed me the choreography you'd completed in under a week and how good it was then? I'm sure you're going to do amazing. We should sleep early, don't you have to be at the venue for eleven?" Chanhee's rambled.

"I do." Changmin answered. "Okay well it's after ten now so once we finish our snacks we can brush our teeth then sleep." Chanhee said. The brunette didn't reply. He finished his banana milk and watched as the blonde finished his bag of chips. Chanhee walked into the bathroom with his toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. Changmin waited for chanhee to finish then he brushed his teeth. When Changmin returned to the main part of the room, Chanhee was already laying in bed.

Changmin turned off the lights and headed to bed. "Chanhee." He called. Chanhee rolled over to face Changmin. "Mm?"

"What are you gonna do while I'm at rehearsal all day?" Changmin asked. Chanhee thought about it for a moment. "I'll probably go to a café or something." Chanhee answered. "Okay." Changmin closed his eyes, so did Chanhee. "Goodnight Changmin."

"Night Chanhee."

\---

It was the morning of competition day. Chanhee had dropped Changmin off at the venue and was currently trying to find a nice café to sit at. After dropping Changmin off he found out that he could drop something off at the dressing room for Changmin if he wanted to. He ended up at a place called starlight café. He ordered himself an iced americano. He got his drink and sat down near the window. He had brought some study books so that's what he did for the next three or so hours.

While Chanhee was studying, Changmin was in full on worry mode. Four other dancers were chosen from his dance company. Two of them being Hyunjun and Haknyeon. "So hyung, we hear you came down with Chanhee hyung instead of the dance company huh?" Hyunjun said. "Yeah what about it?'' Changmin asked, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh you know... not even my boyfriend came all the way to busan to watch the competition yet Chanhee hyung came with you." Haknyeon slyly said.

"What exactly are you implying Hak?"

"Don't be so dense hyung." Hyunjun said. "He totally likes you." Haknyeon added. Changmin froze. He couldn't come up with words to reply with. There was no way in his mind that Choi Chanhee would like him back. It was impossible. "Will you two quit it? He's already stressed enough, don't bug him about other things." Their instructor scolded the younger boys.

Rehearsals went on for most of the day. At four thirty, there was a knock at the dressing room door. Haknyeon went to open the door to find the pretty blonde eleventh grader standing there. "I brought snacks." Chanhee said, holding up a plastic bag. Changmin looked over at the door. The dance instructor smiled and invited Chanhee inside. "H-hi for those of you that don't know me I’m Choi Chanhee, a classmate of Changmin's. C came to watch the competition today." chanhee introduces himself.

He laid the snacks out on an empty table and then walked over to Changmin. "This is for you." He held out a small carton of banana milk. Changmin blushed bright red. "You didn't have to." Haknyeon and Hyunjun watched the interaction.

"They definitely like each other." Haknyeon whispered. "It's so painfully obvious." Hyunjun whispered back. "What did I say to you two?" Their dance instructor whisper yelled. "Leave them alone."

"I'm gonna walk around for a little then I'll come back for the competition alright?" Chanhee explained. "Okay.." Changmin mumbled. The blonde ruffled his hair then made his leave. Changmin was bright red, Haknyeon and Hyunjun knew not to say anything in fear of their instructor scolding them. A few more hours passed and it was now six thirty. The competition started at seven.

Chanhee had gotten a seat in the second row right behind the judges. When the competition started Hyunjun was the first to perform. He danced to our dawn is hotter than day by seventeen. Chanhee was mesmerized by Hyunjun dancing. The next few performances were from other academies and companies. Changmin was the ninth contestant.

"Next up we have Ji Changmin of the tar dance academy! He will be performing a self choreographed dance to Billie Eilish's bad guy." The mc announced. Changmin took a deep breath before he walked on stage. The lights were so bright he could just barely see Chanhee shoot him a smile from the second row. The music started and Changmin poured his heart and soul into the performance.

Chanhee watched with excitement filling his body. Changmin was beautiful on stage. There was no denying that. "Wow..." He mumbled. Changmin finished his performance and bowed. "Hyung that was so good holy crap!" Hyunjun said when he returned to the dressing room. "Aha.. thanks Jun." After Changmin there were eleven more contestants. It took an hour and a half to get through the remaining performances. It was a little after nine when the mc returned to the stage with all the contestants behind him.

"The judges have deliberated and in my hands are the top three contestants names." The mc started. Chanhee was at the edge of his seat. Changmin, Haknyeon and Hyunjun were all holding hands. "In third place we have Ju Haknyeon of the star dance company!" Haknyeon jumped up out of pure excitement. Hyunjun and Changmin pushed him towards the front to receive his medal.

"Next in second place we have Im Siha from the Busan dance academy!" Changmin held his breath. He was so nervous. The only place left was first and he wanted to win. No, he had to win. "Now the place everyone has been waiting for!" The mc paused. "In first place we have Ji Changmin of the star dance company!" Changmin's eyes widened. He was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy.

He accepted the medal and went back to stand beside Haknyeon and Hyunjun. The mc did their ending speech and everyone was dismissed. Chanhee ran up to the stage. "Changmin!" He called before the brunette left the stage. "Go on." Haknyeon pushed Changmin towards the front of the stage. The dancers began leaving the stage as did the audience. Changmin carefully jumped off stage and stood before chanhee.

What played out next was not anticipated at all by Changmin. Chanhee engulfed Changmin in the biggest hug ever. He rested his head on Changmin's shoulder with his arms wrapped around his neck. Changmin was stunned. Eventually he wrapped his hands around Chanhee's small waist. "You did it Changmin, you won." Chanhee mumbled. Changmin didn't reply, he just stood there holding chanhee in his arms.

After a minute it dawned on chanhee what exactly he had done. He pulled away from Changmin and softly mumbled an apology. Though, he didn’t know why he apologized. It’s not like they hadn’t hugged before. Maybe things were different now. "Let's go back to the hotel?" Changmin suggested.

\---

It's now been two days since Changmin and Chanhee's returned from Busan. Both males haven't said a word to each other. After the happenings of the trip they were spooked by the fact that they were both truly falling for each other. It was Christmas Eve. Chanhee's parents had arrived home in the morning as did Changmin's sisters. "You haven't talked to Chanhee in a few days." Changmin's mom pointed out.

"He's busy." Changmin lied. "Are his parents home for Christmas? If not he's welcome here for Christmas." His mom added. "They're home." Changmin answered. "Alright then." She walked back out of Changmin's room.

\---

Two days of no speaking turned into a week, into two, into three till it was finally very obvious to their friends even if they were on holiday that they were avoiding each other. It was the Sunday before school was starting up again after the winter break.

"Chanhee what the fuck?" Kevin said, plopping himself down on the couch beside the now pink haired boy. "What?" Chanhee graoned. "What happened between you and Changmin? You guys were so close and you suddenly just stopped talking to each other."

"Nothing happened." Chanhee said. "I call bull shit." Kevin began. "Chanhee it's painfully obvious that you like him. Haknyeon and Hyunjun told me what happened after Changmin won the solo competition. Not to mention what I walked in on that one Saturday and how chummy you used to be at school. So why the sudden change? Can't you see he likes you too or are you that dense?"

chanhee just sat there, letting Kevin’s words hit him. "Don't be ridiculous Chanhee. I know how you feel about love because of your parents but this is just plain stupid. I've never seen someone make you so happy. Don't go throwing that away just because you're scared. What you have with Changmin is special. How much longer are you gonna go on like this?" Kevin asked. Deep, deep down, Chanhee knew Kevin had a point. "Are you just going to say nothing cause if so I will walk next door and tell Changmin you like him."

"Kevin you asshole let me think." Chanhee punched Kevin's arm. "So do you admit that you like him?" Kevin asked. "Kevin... I think I love him." Chanhee softly admitted. Kevin smiled and patted Chanhee’s head. “I’m glad you’ve finally accepted it.”   
  
\---

"Changmin." Sangyeon called. "Earth to Changmin." Sangyeon stood in the doorway to his room. "Yah, Ji Changmin." Sangyeon smacked the doorframe. Changmin looked over at the door. "Oh hyung." He looked visibly sadder than his usual bright self. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Lots of things. Do you mind elaborating?" Changmin deadpanned. "Chanhee." Changmin's face went pale. "So are you trying to ruin the perfectly good relationship you two had going?" Sangyeon asked. "I don't know." Changmin slowly said. "That's not a very good answer. I can't believe you two are both idiots." Sangyeon harshly exhaled. "What do you mean?" Changmin asked. "You and Chanhee are the densest idiots on the planet. You're even worse than Younghoon and Hyunjae."

“Did you really have to bring him up?” Changmin grumbles. “Okay well I stand by what I said. You two are  _ so fucking dense _ .” Sangyeon fires back, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Sangyeon huffed. He walked over and sat down on the bed beside Changmin. "You like him. I know that, Kevin knows that, all of our friends know that. Chanhee likes you, Kevin definitely knows that, and I'm positive everyone else knows too. Look I know what happened between you and Younghoon, but he's not the only one out there alright? Just because Younghoon couldn't love you like that doesn't mean no one can. Chanhee is the perfect example."

"Kevin was telling me how since you two became good friends he's never seen him smile more. He's never seen him less stressed. He's never seen him seem so alive." Sangyeon paused. "That's the effect you have on him Changmin."

The younger

sat there frozen, taking in all the information Sangyeon had just blurted at him. "So are you going to let this beautiful relationship end over being scared he doesn't love you or are you going to do something about it?"

\---

It was now friday. They spoke once this week when they had to take the class's recycling to the custodians office. That was it. Both boys have been doing a lot of thinking this week. Trying to put together the right words to express how they feel. It was sometime after midnight when Changmin texted Chanhee asking him to come onto the roof and talk. He was bringing it full circle. "Hey..." Changmin waved across the roofs.

"Hey — um.. So why did you call me out here?"

Changmin took a deep breath. "In the past week it's come to my attention that you and me are idiots." Chanhee tilted his head. "Go on."

"I like you Chanhee. I like you so much it hurts. I've liked you since the day I slept over at your house for the first time and maybe even longer than that. I've never felt so free around anyone. no one has made me feel as good as you do. I'm sorry that after coming back from Busan I refused to talk to you. I was scared that you didn't feel the same way so I shut myself off from you and-."

"Ji Changmin if you weren't on the other roof I would've kissed you to shut you up because you were rambling so much. Yea, yeah we're both idiots. You make me feel the same way and I'm so glad we truly became friends and not just neighbours." chanhee paused. "Because I, Choi Chanhee, like you very much."

Changmin was still processing what Chanhee had said about shutting him up with a kiss. "Are you going to say anything else or can I go lay down?" Chanhee nonchalantly said. "Oh so now you're all confident huh?" Changmin fired back. "Well if you weren't going to say anything I was going to go lay down." Chanhee explained. "Are you free tomorrow?" Changmin asked. "I think so yes... why?"

"Let's go on a date."

\---

And so when Changmin woke up the next morning he was happier than ever. He, Ji Changmin, was going to be taking the most beautiful boy he'd ever met on a date. "What to wear? What to wear?" He asked himself. "I hear you need a stylist for your date." Hyunjun said as he waltzed into Changmin's room. Behind him was Eric, Haknyeon and Sunwoo. "How did you guys even get in?" Changmin asked.

"Your mom loves us." Eric said. "Uh huh sure. Ok but i didn't even tell you about this date how did you even-."

"chanhee hyung told me, so I told them." Sunwoo said, cutting him off. "Damnit Chanhee." Changmin mumbled. "Okay so are we getting you ready for this date or what?"

—

"Chanhee! you're date preparation committee is here!" Kevin announced as he walked into Chanhee's bedroom. Juyeon and Jacob were standing in the doorframe. "I don't need your help, thank you very much." Chanhee seethed. "Maybe not with clothes and such but with date etiquette... you need all the help you can get sweetheart. And that's why we're here! You've got three guys in relationships to help you."

"I'm going to be just fine. I don't know what you're worrying about." Chanhee said rolling his eyes. "Ok when was the last time

you ever even went on a date?" Juyeon asked. "Grade ten when Hongjoong asked me out to make Seonghwa jealous." Chanhee explained. "Okay so that barely counts, sorry to break it to you sweetie." Jacob said. "Fne." Chanhee pouted and went back to doing his makeup.

"Kevin's date etiquette class starts now!"

\---

"We'll get the door." Kevin said, pulling Juyeon and Jacob downstairs with him. The doorbell had rang seconds earlier and they were very excited. It was noon and that's when Changmin said he'd pick up Chanhee. "Oooooh look at you. All dressed up for Chanhee huh?" Kevin giggled. "Shut up and get me the pretty boy I'm here for." Changmin half snapped at him. Kevin put his arms up in defeat and called for Chanhee to come downstairs.

"We'll let you guys have your fun." Juyeon winked before dragging Jacob and Kevin out of the house and over to the rest of their friends who were standing at the edge of the driveway. “Shall we?" Changmin held out his hand for Chanhee to hold. "Yes." Chanhee locked the door and they walked down the driveway hand in hand. "Enjoy you two!" Sunwoo called. "Don't stay out too late!" Jacob yelled.

"How did we end up with friends like them?" Changmin asked. "I don't know but without them we wouldn't be going on this date." Chanhee pointed out. "Okay fair point. Now shall I take you to our first stop?" Changmin asked. "Yes please do."

\---

A couple months passed since their first date. Chanhee and Changmin were happier than ever. All of their friends have seen much a boost in both of the boys. It was March now. Changmin laid down beside chanhee. "You know, you look really pretty with your hair this colour." Changmin softly ran his fingers through his light pink hair. "Don't I always look pretty?" Chanhee cockily said. Changmin turned to him and leaned in real close.

Any and all confidence Chanhee had seconds ago was lost in that moment. Sure they've kissed before, but it never fails to make him flustered when Changmin gets that close. "Your cheeks match your hair now Chan." Chanhee looked away. He couldn't bring himself to look Changmin in the eye at this close proximity.

Changmin's face was now about three centimetres away from Chanhee. He just held it there. He was looking up close at how aggravatingly attractive his boyfriend is. Of all things that were to play out next, this was probably what Changmin expected the least. "You can't just come this close and not kiss me.'' Chanhee said as he wrapped his arms around Changmin's neck pulling him in for a kiss.

Every time they kissed it was like fireworks going off in their hearts. Changmin smiled into the kiss. He had one arm supporting his body and the other at Chanhee's waist. They kissed in perfect sync. It was like their worlds stopped just for this. Changmin pulled away for a moment. "You're beautiful," He said. "Just keep kissing me you idiot." Chanhee fired back and so they continued what they had just started.

A little while later they were laying in bed chatting. Changmin would steal glances at the masterpiece he'd created. A few red marks were littered along Chanhee's neck and collarbone. "When was the first time we met?" Chanhee asked out of the blue. "The roof back in october."

"No, I mean like the  _ first _ first time." Chanhee explained. "Umm let me think." Changmin said. There was silence for a few moments. "Oh right! Grade nine orientation we were in a group with Kevin and Juyeon. We didn't really talk much after that and you, Juyeon and Kevin became really close." Changmin recalled their first meeting.

_ "Ji Changmin, Kevin Moon, Lee Juyeon and Choi Chanhee. You four will be working together on the orientation tasks." One teacher explained. Everyone had a big name tag. Chanhee and Changmin both already knew Kevin. _

_ Kevin and Changmin had been friends since middle school, and Kevin and Chanhee had been friends even longer. They just didn't attend the same middle school. The four boys gathered together and awaited further instructions. _

_ "Chanhee this is Changmin, my friend from middle school. Changmin this is Chanhee, my friend from elementary school. Oh and Juyeon and I were in the same dance class in middle school." _

_ Everyone but Kevin seemed to be rather awkward, for more than one reason. Juyeon thought Chanhee was pretty, Chanhee thought Changmin was really attractive, and Changmin was just a very awkward baby. _

_ "Your first activity is to line yourselves up within your groups from youngest to oldest without talking! Fastest team wins, go!" _

_ Thus began a rather confusing thirty seconds. Chanhee knew Kevin was older, as did Changmin. The pair didn't know between the two of them who was older and had some difficulty figuring it out. Juyeon just kept putting one finger up trying to tell them he's a January baby. _

_ When they finally figured it out they shouted done and were the second team to finish. The rest of the day was just as awkward. At least for Chanhee and Changmin. Both wanted to stick close to Kevin because he was like a safe zone. _

"Oh god grade nine orientation was awful." Whanhee whined. "we were so awkward and it was like we were trying to claim Kevin as our safe zone the whole ass day oh my god." Chanhee continued. "It really took us two whole years to become friends after that." Changmin chuckled. "You'd think after living beside each other for most of our lives it wouldn't have taken us till the eleventh grade to become friends."

"To be fair we're both complete opposites." Chanhee pointed out. "I’m the smartest guy in school and you're arguably the best dancer in school. I spent so much of my childhood in this room studying and teaching myself stuff that was grades ahead of where I was supposed to be while I can only assume you spent a lot of time at a dance studio." Chanhee sighed. To him they were somewhat of an odd match, but they had a lot more in common then he originally anticipated.

"I spent so much time at the dance company when I was little trying to become as good as my sister. almost more time than I spend there now." Changmin said. Chanhee took his hand and rubbed his thumb against the back of his hand. "I'm so glad I have you in my life now. You've made me feel so loved and complete. I don't know what I'd do without you." Chanhee said, he was speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. He's never felt so loved before, so happy, so complete.

"Hey I have a great idea." Changmin sat up. His hand still held by Chanhee. “Let's lay down on the roof and look at the stars. In all the time since we started dating we've never sat on the same roof to look at the stars." Changmin was excited to lay on the roof beside the man of his dreams and look at the stars. Sure it doesn't compare to watching the stars in the countryside but that's alright. "Then what are you still sitting here for silly let's go."

Chanhee pulled Changmin up off the bed and proceeded to take the screen cover off of the window. He opened it up and stepped out onto the roof first. He laid down as Changmin followed behind him. Changmin laid down beside him with the goofiest smile ever. His current level of happiness couldn't be explained with words. For a while they sat in silence and watched the stars.

Nothing was awkward about it though. It was perfect. They didn't need to talk, they had each other and that was all that mattered to them. They had that one person that they knew they always needed but could never find. Someone to share their hardships with, someone to cheer them up when they're down, someone spontaneous and lighthearted, someone that will see them for them. Chanhee was that person Changmin needed, and Changmin was that person Chanhee needed.

They completed each other.

"Hey Chanhee..." Changmin softly called. He slipped his hand into Chanhee's and took a deep breath. "Mm yes min what's up?" Chanhee didn't take his eyes off the sky as he answered. "I think I'm in love with you... no scratch that I'm very much so in love with you. Choi Chanhee I love you so much." Chanhee's eyes widened at the sudden end confession. Changmin loves him? really? "This isn't some sick joke right?" Chanhee just had to make sure.

"Chanhee, I assure you one hundred percent that I am not kidding with you." Changmin sincerely said. "I-I — holy shit I love you too." Chanhee stuttered. "Thank you for being the most amazing person I've ever met." Changmin turned his head to Chanhee. "If we weren't on the roof I'd kiss you." Changmin smirked. "You say that like we didn't make out an hour ago." Chanhee rolled his eyes.

"Well there's nothing wrong with me wanting to kiss your pretty face is there?" Changmin had a smug smile on his face. "Shut up." Chanhee blushed. "I really do love you Chanhee." Changmin softly squeezed Chanhee's hand. "I love you so much more than you'll ever understand." Chanhee replied.

And so they laid hand in hand of Chanhee's roof watching the stars. Basking in the moonlight and enjoying each other's company.

\---

This time last year Changmin and chanhee were getting ready to go to Jacob, Younghoon, Jaehyun and Sangyeon's graduation. They didn't realize how fast time would fly and now their grade twelve year was coming to a close. Chanhee had gotten into the engineering program that was his top choice and Changmin had made it into a dance program he'd been wanting to get into since he started dancing. Over the past year and a bit they've had their ups and downs.

Everyone does, but at the end of the day they were always there for each other. Today was their graduation. A day that at the beginning of the school year seemed so far away and now suddenly Chanhee was fixing Changmin's hair while they got ready in Chanhee's room. "Will you quit fidgeting? I'll burn your hair off." Chanhee threatened. "I'm sorry I’m sorry I'm just nervous." Changmin let out a deep sigh. "I know — I am too, don't worry. You know my parents and my brother are coming today."

"Yeah you told me last night silly." Changmin replied. Chanhee put down the straightening iron on his dresser. "All done." He said with a small smile. "Thank you." Changmin stood up from the chair Chanhee had him seated on. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Chanhee's cheek. The pink haired boy looked away. His cheeks matching the pink of his hair. "What was that for?" Chanhee asked, still looking away. "Nothing, I just felt like it." Changmin innocently replied.

"Just grab your cap and gown, we're going to be late! Kevin just texted me saying he's waiting in the car out front with Juyeon." Chanhee was flustered, very very flustered. You'd think after dating Changmin for over a year he wouldn't lose it inside anytime Changmin kissed him but he does. "Alright alright." Changmin chuckled. He grabbed his cap and gown and followed Chanhee downstairs. He looked in front of him at his wonderful boyfriend.

He looked amazing. His light hair was parted slightly to the side. "Will you quit staring and put on your shoes." Chhanhee impatiently said. Changmin quickly slipped on his shoes and they headed out to the car after saying bye to Chanhee's parents, who as Chanhee said earlier were home and coming to the graduation.

"Finally." Juyeon said as the pair walked up. "Changmin was being slow, sorry." Chanhee said getting into the back of the car. "I was not!" Changmin protested. "Just shut up and put your seatbelt on you idiot." Juyeon said. Changmin stuck his tongue at Juyeon then did you his seatbelt. (safety first right?) The four males joked the whole ride there. The ceremony was taking place at a big auditorium near their school. "Are you ready to graduate?" Kevin asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Nope not at all." Changmin replied. "It sucks we aren't all going to the same university." Chanhee said. "Ok but at least you two are moving in together." Juyeon rolled his eyes. "It's not our fault you're dating a guy two years younger than you." Chanhee fired back. "He has a point." Kevin calmly said. "Yeah yeah just get out of my car you losers." Juyeon dramatically said. "Jeez someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today huh?"

Juyeon stuck his tongue out at Changmin as they walked up to the front of the building. Kevin held the door open for everyone then entered behind them. They scanned the lobby all looking for different people. Juyeon was looking for his parents, and Eric of course. Kevin was looking for his parents who he found standing talking with his sweetheart of a boyfriend Jacob.

Changmin found his parents and sisters standing near the doors to the auditorium. Chanhee's parents and brother had yet to arrive as they left the house after the couple did. "Over here!" The four averted their attention to the familiar voice. "Sangyeon hyung!" Changmin happily exclaimed. Standing there were Sangyeon, Younghoon, Jaehyun, Eric, Sunwoo, Hyunjun, and haknyeon. not Jacob as you know he was talking with Kevin's family.

"Sooooo are you guys ready for your big day?" Sangyeon asked. "Nope." They all said in unison. "You guys will be fine, don't worry. Just don't trip on stage like Jacob did." Jaehyun said, trying not to laugh the whole time. "I won't trip but I can't promise that he won't." Changmin said, pointing at Chanhee. The pink haired male glared at him. "You ass." He muttered. "All graduating students please come to the back, and all family and friends that have come to watch please line up to enter the auditorium."

The group of friends parted ways and waited for the ceremony to begin. After the graduates walked in, the ceremony seemed to go on forever, from speeches from teachers and the principal to the valedictorian. Going through and announcing every single graduate and where they would be continuing school in the fall. Chanhee was the first of the four called up. He was attending Hanyang for engineering sciences. Then it was Changmin attending Seoul National for dance.

After Changmin was Juyeon who was also attending Seoul National but for fashion instead. And finally Kevin who was going to attend yonsei university for graphic design and art. After their four friends had received their diplomas the group of friends paid less and less attention to the ceremony. When it finally ended they all took pictures. Some group ones, some with just the graduates. Chanhee and Changmin took a cute picture that made their friends gag a little at how cute it was.

Chanhee ended up taking a picture with his family as did Changmin. They had never looked more proud then they did in that moment. "We did it Changmin." Chanhee whispered. "We finally made them proud."


End file.
